Hello All,
I’ve posted a few times before, and have always received very helpful advice from you all, for which I am very grateful. I'm hoping you can help me out once again, this time with career guidance. I am a 30 year-old electrical engineer, and have been working in the power/utility industry since I graduated ~3.5 years ago. Lately, I’ve started to seriously consider making a change (reasons given below), but I am unsure what the scope of that change should be (e.g. changing employer vs. changing industry vs. changing career completely… or just sticking it out for a while and pursuing a side hustle...), and where I should be looking.
Here are the reasons that I am looking at making a change:
• I don't see a career path at my company that appeals to me. I do a decent job from a technical perspective on design projects, but I don't have the interest or aptitude to become a technical expert in the field. I also am learning that I don't have the stomach for the project management side of things. My yearly reviews have been very good, but there isn't a lot of incentive to go above and beyond.
• The pay (currently ~$75k) is mediocre, especially relative to the housing market here. Additionally, it seems to have a fairly low ceiling, even for those who are highly knowledgeable technical experts with a ton of experience. I would like to find a career with more potential for salary growth.
• The work for my department in our office has almost completely dried up in recent months, due to the loss of our main client. I have been made the point of contact with the client as we finish up existing contracts, and the interactions have become increasingly nasty and emotionally draining. I think I am a bit more secure in my position than some of the other junior employees, as I have another project that can't be transferred to anyone else at the firm (client wouldn't allow it). This means that I am at least partially billable. I don’t foresee layoffs as imminent, but I think they could come at some point, and I would like to at least have a plan if that happens.
I am mainly looking for thoughts on possible careers for someone with my background. I am not a gregarious or sales-y person, but I do enjoy leadership (I ran my church's young adult program for two years, and learned a lot about leadership during that time. I loved mentoring the young adults in the group, and the challenge of conflict resolution with some of the members was awesome). Additionally, my writing skills are excellent for an engineer, and I am a fairly good public speaker.
Being able to stay in my current geographic location is important to me, which I understand will limit my choices. Additionally, I am taking the PE exam in April, in the hope of having more career stability should I stick with engineering.
Below are a few details about my current financial situation, in case any of it is relevant. The main financial motivation for me at the moment is being able to comfortably afford a house within 3-4 years, while maintaining a high savings rate. I am currently renting an apartment with a roommate, which has been a great decision. However, it looks likely that I will be married within a year, and it is important to me to be able to afford a house a few years after that (at the latest). Also, I understand that it is only going to become more difficult to make a career transition as I get older, and I don't want to get stuck in a career that I dislike.
I would greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you are willing to provide as I try to sort through all of this. Thank you!
Location: Spokane Valley, WA
Salary: $75k
Between 4-7% 401k contributions by employer each year, depending on how the company did
Other benefits are decent, but not amazing. There are definitely some really good aspects to the job: flexibility in work hours, nice offices, supportive senior staff.